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Public Administration

A guide to finding public administration resources in UVic Libraries.

Library Search

Library Search -- UVic Libraries' largest search engine

 

 

Library Search is the Library's Google-like search tool.  The difference is that Library Search only searches the UVic library's collection, which includes records for UVic books, ebooks, articles, conference proceedings, theses and dissertations, videos, and more. A single search in Library Search can return records from all of these sources. 

Some advantages over Google Scholar:

  • Library Search provides easy access to a massive amount of print and digital information provided specifically in support of teaching and research at UVic
  • Search results include books and ebooks from the UVic collection, as well as journal articles, newspaper articles, conference proceedings, dissertations, and more
  • Search results can be limited to scholarly or peer-reviewed sources with one click
  • Citations in your search results can be viewed in six commonly used citation formats (APA, AMA, MLA, Uniform, Chicago, and Harvard), exported to citation managers, emailed, and printed
  • Search results can be added to a basket for easy emailing to yourself

Searching for resources

Research topics in public administration and community development can be very interdisciplinary. As such, there really isn't one "best" database to search.  It is recommended you start your research by using a multidisciplinary search tool like the Library's main search tool, Library Search, or Google Scholar.  This will help you get a sense of the literature that exists on your topic, both from within the Library's collection, as well as what's available on the open Internet.

Beyond Library Search and Google Scholar, the Library does have a large number of smaller disciplinary journal article databases that are listed as "best bets" for public administration and related topics, which you can also explore.

Dictionaries / Encyclopedias

If you are unfamiliar with terminology or a topic, a dictionary or encyclopedia can be a good place to start as they can help orient you to the literature.  Encyclopedias are particularly useful as they will often include a bibliography of seminal works in the area. Below are just a few examples of these resources.  To find more like this, use the Summon search tool and then filter your search to the 'Content Type' --> Reference

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This work by The University of Victoria Libraries is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License unless otherwise indicated when material has been used from other sources.